It takes a World Village

I’m still making my way on this artistic path I’ve chosen, a path which like so many other paths in our lives, comes without a handbook, or a map. There are signs though. Unfortunately, not the billboard variety. More like “the veil is thin,” and “did that really just happen?!” variety.

Wisdom says when you’re on the right track the wind will be at your back. Moving ahead won’t be a constant struggle. “The flow” will be going the direction you want to go.

Wisdom also says you can’t go it alone. “It takes a village.”

Just to be clear, this artistic “path” I’m forging is not just evolving the new art form “Tarpestry,” it’s also developing new ways to build my career as an artist who makes tarpestries.

The traditional “gallery model” is almost non-existent in Boise right now, but I could, actually I already have (with my “Tarpestries” exhibition at the Student Union Gallery at BSU) figure out a way to hang and show my work. That model usually implies that the work is being shown in order to be sold. I’m not really sure that that is the path I want to be on. Still, I’m figuring it out as I go along.

This is what I’ve figured out so far: I know the “what” — Tarpestry. I know the “how” — imagining, cutting, taping, doodling. And now I’m forging ahead figuring out the “who” and “where.” Just imagine the “Who” is a chicken, and the “Where” is an egg, and you’ll see why one of them has to come first, but it’s always a debate as to which!

This month, thanks to one of those serendipitous meetings I’ve been enjoying lately, I had the opportunity to display several of my tarpestries at the World Village Festival in Capitol Park, in Boise. People especially loved the Elephants Tarpestry and used it as a background for many selfies. Myself included:

That’s me with Dayo Ayodele, the Executive Director of Global Lounge, the organization which puts on the World Village Festival every year.

That event was a great example of “Where,” but because I used tarpestries from my past inventory which weren’t created especially for the “Who” it made me really want to make tarpestries specifically for the World Village Festival next time.

Well thanks to Dayo, and to Donna Kovaleski, the Communications Director, and Dayo’s partner, I hope to be announcing a big collaboration with Global Lounge for the World Village Festival 2017. Fingers crossed!!

I’m on an artistic path, finding my way with each new step I take, and I am so grateful to be “just doing it” with the help of such a generous Village.